Achi news desk-
(Bloomberg) – Senegal’s President-elect, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, has vowed to tackle corruption and use the country’s resources to improve Senegalese living conditions.
The largely unknown 43-year-old former tax inspector who rose from prison to win Sunday’s polls plans to devote himself to strengthening state institutions and maintaining friendly relations with Senegal’s partners, using its natural resources to fulfill the aspirations of the citizens.
Senegal will become an oil and gas producer later this year, which will make it one of the fastest growing economies in Africa at more than 8%. About a third of the country’s 18 million people live in poverty, according to the World Bank while the government’s recent increase in spending to carry out key development projects has worsened with international factors to drive up the cost of living in the country.
Read More: Faye Senegalese Opposition on the verge of Going From Prison to the Presidency
Inflation rose for the second consecutive month to 2.3% in February from 2.1% the month before.
“I commit myself to govern with humility, transparency, and to fight corruption at all levels,” Faye said in a speech late Monday in the capital, Dakar. Senegal “will remain a friendly ally, safe and reliable for anyone who engages with us in a virtuous, respectful and mutually productive collaboration.”
Faye, firebrand opposition politician Ousmane Sonko’s right-hand man, convincingly beat incumbent coalition candidate Amadou Ba, who reached Faye by phone on Monday to congratulate him on his victory.
Faye is Sonko’s hand-picked candidate, who has been jailed repeatedly in recent years, like many of President Macky Sall’s political rivals. The pair captured the energy of Senegal’s large youth population, fed up with a political elite that has done little to raise their living standards. Many took to the streets already on Monday to celebrate Faye’s impending victory after the first results were reported from polling stations.
More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
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Published: 26 Mar 2024, 05:06 AM IST
